Page 62 of Golden Goal

I take half a step back so I can see her better. “Can I take you out next weekend? We have Sunday off.”

She grins up at me, putting her hands on my chest. “I’d like that.”

I haul her against me before leaning down and capturing her mouth, which is as soft as I remember, with mine. She sinks her hands into my hair, raking her fingers along my scalp. My eyes roll to the back of my head as I lick into her mouth, deepening the kiss. She moans, and I swallow her sounds, filing them away for later, my cock getting hard. Much too soon she pulls away from me.

“Holt.”

“Yeah, sweetheart.”

“What was that for?”

I stare down at her. “Because I can.”

She runs her hand down my chest. “I like this side of you. Way better than grumpy Holt.”

I growl. “I wasn’t grumpy.”

She playfully smacks me on the chest, and I grab her hand, kiss her palm, then her wrist, then all the way up her arm. I don’t miss the way she shivers. A thrill runs through me that she’s as affected as I am. I haven’t had that effect on anyone since . . . well, ever.

Kat would never. She liked things a certain way. Why didn’t I see all the red flags before? When we were in high school, that was one thing; I was a kid. But when we got back together, I was an adult. There’s no excuse for me letting her back in my life. I shouldn’t have—

“Holt, where’d you go?”

Becca’s words have me blinking and focusing on her. I clear my throat, leaning down to press my forehead against hers, cradling her face in my hand.

“A place I don’t want to be.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” She puts her hand on top of mine.

I shake my head. I don’t want to taint whatever this is by talking about my ex. “Not really.”

“If you ever want to talk, I’m here.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” I give her a chaste kiss before taking a step back, needing to put distance between us before I haul her against me and do more than kiss her. “I should go. I’ll text you about Sunday.”

She nods, and I turn to walk away.

“Holt, wait, I don’t think you have my number.”

I pull my phone out of my pocket and hand it to her. She adds herself as a new contact, and I send her a quick text before giving her one more kiss, and seeing myself out of her apartment.

Chapter twenty-five

Holt

These past few days have been the longest of my life. Okay, maybe not the longest, but close enough. I stopped by Becca’s office a few times for a couple of quick kisses, and we’ve texted a bunch, but that’s about all since we’ve both been busy. I grab my phone, smiling as I read through mine and Becca’s text messages from last night.

Me: We’ll pick you up at ten thirty. Are you okay with a lot of walking? I know you’re on your feet a lot.

Becca: That’s good with me. Do I get any other clues?

Me: Nope. Excited to see you.

Becca: Me too. Can’t wait.

There’s a pep in my step, one that hasn’t been there in a long time, as I get Hazel ready.

I hope Becca likes what I planned for us. I know she likes James Bond, so I think she should. But is this too much? Should I have planned something else for us to do? I know she said she was fine with a bunch of walking but is she really?